I consider myself a decent source of information when it comes to role playing games. After all, I’ve been playing them for thirty years now. With that said I have never stuck to just the big games. Even the smallest budget releases can be just as rewarding as the huge budgets behind AAA titles. With the number of RPGs released throughout the years on almost every platform there’s sure to be some that were lost in the cracks. That’s why I thought it would be interesting today to highlight what are, in my opinion some of the most underrated RPGs of all time. Of course opinions will differ and this list is just my own. I welcome comments and recommendations. Even some of the big budget and hyped to heck releases can still be considered underrated. These is the top 10 most underrated RPGs.
#10. – Infinite Undiscovery
Did I lose you already? I wouldn’t be surprised. Infinite Undiscovery is one of the most universally hated I’ve seen. At one point in time this was a fairly hyped exclusive for the Xbox 360. Soon after release critics tore it apart, and it has since been forgotten in time. I of course read the reviews and was prepared for the worst. At first I thought this was a bad half baked adventure, but as I progressed it quickly grew on me. If I didn’t know better I would say this title was developed backwards. In the beginning everything feels rushed and low effort. Later on it feels like the budget and polish increase significantly. You can tell if someone didn’t complete Infinite Undiscovery before writing their review easily simply because of this fact. This is surely one of those truly underrated RPGs.
#9. – Little Ninja Brothers
Little Ninja Brothers never escaped the niche category. This rarely mentioned RPG is one of the most unique on any console. It’s a two player real-time role playing game which at first appears to be a typical Dragon Quest clone. You guide your character around an overhead map which includes town areas and dungeons, fight battles, and gain experience points. The thing is, you do it with a friend, who is in control during these sequences just as much as you are. You both explore the world map and towns on the same screen. Enemy encounters occur at random and are real-time affairs. When engaging you’re whisked away to a separate battlefield where you and a friend punch and kick the living heck out of a gang of foes. The towns are fun to explore, and the story is punchy and unique. It’s definitely one of the most underrated RPGs.
#8. – Star Ocean: The Last Hope
I felt burned, and somewhat betrayed by the third iteration of the series. Tri-Ace took it into various gameplay and story directions that I hated, and the repeating dungeons were a real bummer. After that I didn’t have much hope for it’s follow up Star Ocean the Last Hope. The era in which it was released was a wasteland for the genre. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Last Hope was actually a good game. It has the best version of the series’ battle system, no repeating dungeons, no MP deaths, and some fun exploration. The reason this one is so hated is because of the art style, bad voice overs, and cheesy story. All of the good stuff far outweighs the bad, and you owe it to yourself to pay one of the best RPGs of that generation.
#7. – Tales of Destiny
Namco lost their big opportunity to make Tales of a household name worldwide by keeping the original Tales of Phantasia a Japan only release. This RPG was one of the most advanced on the platform. Both in terms of gameplay mechanics, graphics, and scope. It would have been a hit. Unfortunately Tales of Destiny is quite a different case. It released for the Sony PlayStation, and compared to everything else at the time was decidedly low budget. Honestly, it barely looked better than a SNES game most of the time. It’s easy to see why Tales of Destiny was overlooked. Those that gave it a chance discovered one of the best RPGs on the platform. Just bear in mind many compare the battle system to Street Fighter II. This is inaccurate, and if you go in expecting this you’ll leave disappointed.
#6. – Grandia III
The Grandia series started off with a bang with one of the best RPGs of all time. The second was decent, but not nearly as good, and part III is a small step above this. While the storylines got worse and worse the gameplay only improved. Grandia III has the best iteration of the already amazing battle system the franchise is known for. Few other games based around turn based mechanics offers so much strategy and options. Once you get comfortable with the mechanics you’ll be able to come up with some genius level combinations. I won’t lie; the story is very basic and not very good. The charming characters and story are also absent. You have to enjoy turn based combat to get the most out of this one.
#5. – Final Fantasy Legend
This is actually the first installment in Square’s longrunning SaGa franchise. In Japan this was touted as ‘Final Fantasy Gaiden’ and it’s not hard to see why. Certain elements are similar, such as the basic battle system, but the developers experimented heavily. You start out creating your own party (ala the original Final Fantasy game) but the jobs you can choose from are, well, weird. Here you can choose from humans, mutants, and monsters. They all gain stats in different ways, and have access to different abilities. Party formation allows for some really wacky combos that effect gameplay in significant ways. The story is a bit weak, but progression is so unique it’s not hard to look past this.
#4. – Breath of Fire
Breath of Fire is best described as a combination between Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy with that classic Capcom charm. This is a traditional RPG where you progress through a linear story in a fantastical world populated by humans, and a variety of humanoid beasts. The battle system is pretty standard but everything moves at an unusually brisk pace despite enemy encounters featuring a ton of animation. I absolutely love the cast of this title, and that they have unique abilities outside of battle related to exploration. The real highlight here is the dungeon designs. Few other RPGs are as well designed in this regard. All of this on top of one of the best soundtracks of the 16-bit era and you have a game that’s an absolute joy to play. Breath of Fire is largely underrated simply because it doesn’t have an enthralling story.
#3. – Legend of the Dragoon
There’s an interesting story behind this one. Sony wanted in on the wave of RPG popularity brought on by Final Fantasy VII. Clearly this was always bound to be in the heap of underrated RPGs. Something is different here. The battle system is based on a unique timing system as well as the ability to transform into drastically more powerful dragon knights. It’s crazy unique all wrapped up into a package that looks like a generic Final Fantasy clone. At the time of release there was a fair amount of hype. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered this title is widely hated by the RPG community. This is yet another case where I think fans didn’t resonate with this game because the storyline and characters are generic and stiff. I actually mildly enjoyed the story, but the battle system is the real highlight.
#2. – Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
It wasn’t until the days of the internet that I found out Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was widely disregarded. This was intended to be a beginner RPG to introduce a new generation to the genre. That’s enough for most people to sell this one short. Anyone who plays will discover one of the best 16-bit RPGs ever released. The battle system allows for only two characters in your party at a time. In addition the second party member by default is set to AI. You have fewer stats to wrestle with, and a very basic equipment system. So what makes Mystic Quest so good? The dungeon designs. These require use of various weapons (which are tools outside of combat) in order to progress. This mechanic is amazing. Those worried about the low difficulty shouldn’t. If you can look past the simplicity you’ll find one of the most underrated RPGs around.
#1. – Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean
Most gamers haven’t even heard of this title. Albert Odyssey was a series on the Super Famicom and Legend of Eldean was a sort of Gaiden title released for the Sega Saturn. This was localized by the folks at Working Designs, and has all of their usual dialogue quirks. I’m a big fan of this, but understand if you aren’t. Regardless, Albert Odyssey Legend of Eldean is a very traditional RPG released in a time where developers were experimenting. Fortunately the developers at Sunsoft stuck to the basics, and just about everything here is perfection. The battle system is basic, but very polished. Albert Odyssey is also a very beautiful 2D game which has aged marvelously. Add in a compelling story, great dungeon designs, and you have the best role playing game that no one played. Albert Odyssey is truly one of the most underrated RPGs ever released.
